tration: THE ROBBER-CHIEF CATCHES THE QUEEN]

And he ran off into the wood.

After he had gone the queen lit the fire, and then thought she would
like to see what was in the other rooms; so she went from one to
another, and presently came to one that was very prettily furnished,
with lovely pictures on the walls, and pale blue curtains and soft
yellow cushions and comfortable easy chairs. As she was looking at all
these things, suddenly a trap-door opened in the floor, and the
robber-chief came out of the hole and seized her ankles. The queen
almost died of fright, and shrieked loudly, then fell on her knees and
begged him to spare her life.

'Yes, if you will promise me two things,' he replied; 'first that you
will take me home to your country and let me be crowned king instead
of your son; and secondly, that you will kill him in case he should
try to take the throne from me--if you will not agree to this I shall
kill you.'

'Kill my own son!' gasped the queen, staring at him in horror.

'You need not do that exactly,' said the robber. 'When he returns,
just lie on the bed and say that you have been taken ill, and add that
you have dreamed that in a forest, a mile away, there are some
beautiful apples. If you could only get some of these you would be
well again, but if not you will die.'

The queen shuddered as she listened. She was fond of her son, but she
was a terrible coward; and so in the end she agreed, hoping that
something would occur to save the prince. She had hardly given her
promise when a step was heard, and the robber hastily hid himself.

'Well, mother,' cried the prince as he entered, 'I have been through
the forest and found the road, so we will start directly we have had
some breakfast.'

'Oh, I feel so ill!' said the queen. 'I could not walk a single step;
and there is only one thing that will cure me.'

'What is that?' asked the prince.

'I dreamed,' answered the queen, in a faint voice, 'that, a mile
away, there is a forest where the most beautiful apples grow, and if I
could have some of them I should soon be well again.'

'Oh! but dreams don't mean anything,' said the prince. 'There is a
magician who lives near here. I'll go to him and ask for a spell to
cure you.'

'My dreams always mean something,' said the queen, shaking her head.
'If I don't get any apples I shall die.' She did not know why the
robber wanted to send the prince to this particular forest, but as a
matter of fact